Standup Paddleboards (“SUPs”) have become an extremely popular watersport for both recreation and fitness. The slower speeds involved and the position of the user in the center of the SUP can make it difficult to turn quickly or sharply to avoid obstacles. As SUPs have a very shallow draft and the user is standing upright, SUPs are also very easily influenced by even light winds, making turning into the wind or maintaining a straight course very difficult. This can make SUP use on a windy day very frustrating and in some situations dangerous. Also, as one of the top reasons cited for participating in standup paddleboarding is fitness, paddling when wind is present leads to excessive paddling on one side in order to maintain a desired course, resulting in an unbalanced workout and even risk of repetitive motion injury. A way to more effectively steer a SUP in obstacle prone areas or in windy conditions would be highly desirable.
Currently one SUP manufacturer offers a built-in rudder system where the rudder is manipulated via a foot-actuated lever applying force to the rudder via cables running through channels incorporated into the interior of the board. Thus current integrated rudder systems require the user to manipulate a lever with a foot, necessitating the user to either stay fixed in one location on the board or change from a more desirable position in order to actuate the lever. This brand of SUP is at the high end of price point—two to three times the cost of other popular brands—and typically used only by very serious or competitive paddleboarders. The rudder systems adds significantly to the cost of the board. Again, these boards are much more expensive than the boards commonly used by the majority of recreational or fitness SUP users. There currently exists no rudder solution that can be easily and economically used on any SUP, and is removable and portable for use on multiple boards by the user.
Thus there is a need for a paddleboard rudder control system that overcomes the above listed and other disadvantages.